Miley Cyrus attends the MTV EMA’s 2013 at the Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam, Netherlands in a lace-up custom vintage dress with the faces of rappers The Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur and the words “Please Stop Violence” on it accessorized with Tom Ford boots.

In a lot of respects, it’s really not for us to say whether or not she has the right to use the faces of Tupac and Notorious B.I.G. to draw attention to her tits and ass* or whether or not it’s offensive, but our gut reaction is that it’s pretty gross. She’s the very definition of privileged whiteness. These aren’t her images and she’s demonstrated no understanding of the world these men came from or even the world they died in.

We get it. It’s an MTV red carpet. It’s a place that encourages people to be shocking or controversial in an attention-seeking way. We can’t say she’s not dressing for the venue, but we can’t help recoiling at what she’s doing here.

*Because we reserve the God-given right to point and laugh long, hard and loud at anyone who tries to sell us the horsepoop idea that she’s “sending a message” about “ending violence.” Person, please.

i wish i could ignore, but she keeps trying to have sex with me. i didn’t consent, dammit. and she’s everywhere, stalking me, jumping out at me. i said NO and she just keeps putting it in my face. i’ve thought about suing her for sexual harassment, but i just don’t know if i could afford the cost up-front.

boweryboy

This. Exactly.

Karen Belgrad

Start by asking her to spell gobsmacked. That should keep her busy for a few hours!

Srw27

Good question!! Biggie & Tupac did not die so this hillbilly hobag can wear their faces on her ass!!

E2_Remote

Get ready to be further gobsmacked. I ran across this today and wondered what rabbit hole I had tumbled down:

“Saudi Islamic Bank has decided to end its association with Ms Cyrus,”
the bank said in a statement. “We would like to thank the star for her
support over the years in helping promote our range of Sharia-compliant
investment products and wish her well in her future endeavours.”

Ha…?

Democracy Diva

But cultural appropriation is, like, so totally cool, TLo! Miley was like, all of five years old when Tupac and Biggie died, so she OBVIOUSLY understands their cultural impact better than any of us. DUHHHH.

xmixiex

was she even that old?? i think she was like, 3.

Introspective

for the first time ever I have literally regretted coming onto TLo first thing monday morning. cause this fuckery is what greeted me. cause i teach black history for a living and homegirl is everything about the privilege of whiteness that exhausts me and lets me know that my work is never done. i cant. where’s my coffee?

decormaven

Know that your work is important. Yes, it may never be done, but every mind you reach with the facts is one less deluded person. Thank you for what you do.

I’ve been reading a few blogposts recently on whether women should feel obliged to teach men what feminism is, and one from a black woman saying why she no longer explains racism to white people. I very much sympathise with the exhaustion!

Introspective

this. all of this. even as someone paid to do this sort of explaining to hundreds of students until your face hurts, it still just feels like you are a crazy person screaming in an empty room when you see shit like this getting the world’s attention on a regular basis.

but again you and the other BKs are a relief –and a testament to the existence of pop culture consumers smart enough to call out the foolishness of cultural appropriation when they see it.

The fact that SHE is now synonymous with twerking instead of the women who’ve been doing it SO much better for oh, like 10 years now is pretty infuriating as well.

Micaela Cannon

amen. TWERKING ISN’T NEW. and what Miley did can hardly signify.

bitchybitchybitchy

In John Waters’ original “Hairspray”, there are scenes in which the African-American teens are doing moves on the dance floor that look like twerkings’ ancestor-and Waters was a stickler for his cast learning to do the 60’s dance moves correctly.

BrooklynBomber

What decormaven said.

StillGary

It obviously affected her because she immediately penned the lyrics “Gangsters Paradise.” Her dad wrote the music — true story!

I think you’ve pretty much nailed her description for me for all time.

fursa_saida

I like to think about her in contrast to Pink, because I feel like she’s attempting to follow a similar path but failing at all the important parts that Pink has gotten right. It’s sort of interesting (if depressing, when it comes to Miley) to look at how people use the American (or somewhat American-British mixed) iconography of rebellion (which of course has been completely coopted, just like rock and roll and to a slightly lesser extent punk), and how they succeed or fail. A big part of why Pink has succeeded where Miley is failing is that she also has successfully rebelled against a lot of the expectations for women in the music industry: she has evaded the usual role of sexualization through talent and originality (when she appears at awards shows, where most female music stars go for sexy, she goes for the artistic acrobatic thing; her music videos often do something similar, or when that’s not an option she heads towards comedy). So her “rebellious” image, even as it’s very safe, really, stands up better because a) in some realer sense she has in fact rebelled against her industry standards, and b) you have the sense of a real person behind the looks and choices.

I think Miley somehow thinks she’s evading the same trap with the teddy bears and shit, but all she’s doing is playing into it while being horrible in terms of cultural appropriation and the treatment of the little people among her dancers. (Is “little people” the correct term? It seems to be, from the ways I’ve seen it used, but I’m not sure and looking it up hasn’t clarified for me. Apologies if I’ve erred!) I saw a great essay about her VMAs performance suggesting that she’s correctly (if not necessarily consciously or deliberately) seen that in her industry, there are objectifiers and objectified, and the objectifiers have the power, so she’ll objectify herself before anyone else gets the chance. It makes a twisted kind of sense, but it doesn’t actually work. And she really, really needs to stop with the appropriation of black culture. (Yes, this applies to loads of white male pop stars as well.)

xmixiex

and punk rock.

tereliz

In her Tom Ford boots, pulling her toothpick joint out of her Chanel bag.

*drops mike*

I’m out.

fursa_saida

Annnnd now that song is stuck in my head forever. (I don’t necessarily think you were referencing it, but seeing the words is enough.)

Rhonda Shore

i’m starting to miss her plastic fleshtone bikini!

PastryGoddess

The only message I’m getting is Tacky Ass Ho

Little_Olive

Absolutely and even more. There comes a point when I don’t mind the venue, the message, the context… it just does not look god and you know it. Plus those boots give her cankles, so there.

HorseNPonyShow

Also those boots made me a little nauseated. Or I could still be hungover..no..its the boots.

Denise

Well,uhm, OK, well I can’t see her tongue so there’s that. Gotta aim for those small victories.

I feel like when your footwear uses more fabric then your dress that’s problematic

Isabel

I do like the boots, though.

Lanus

If you want to go with those boots+vintage, wouldn’t you do the smart thing and grab a Mary Quant pleather minidress?

KateShouldBeWorking

Don’t go introducing logic and taste here, Lanus.

Lanus

I know, it was folly. It does, however, have me craving a Mary Quant vintage dress.

formerlyAnon

YOU might do the smart thing.

conniemd

I feel like it’s problematic to give whatever “vintage” thing she is wearing the word “dress!”

Kristin McNamara

More like an apron.

DebbieLovesShoes

I despise seeing “LOL” in print, but you did make me LOL

quiltrx

I’m trying to wrap my mind around the fact that some person(s) actually *made* this for her. “So here’s some Biggie and Tupac t-shirts, and some sweatshirt strings, and some lingerie trim–go to it.”
In other news, those boots are pretty fabulous if you’re the pantsless type.

MarTeaNi

You used to see this kind of thing as music festivals. It was re-appropriating all those men’s shirts sold only in size XL+ into something a woman could wear that wasn’t a tent. It died pretty quickly because the clothing was terrible and companies figured out you put a band on a shirt sized/shaped for women and a woman would buy it.

Lilithcat

“So here’s some Biggie and Tupac t-shirts, and some sweatshirt strings, and some lingerie trim–go to it.”

One wants to ask her “Stop which violence?” Not because one is opposed to stopping all violence, but because one suspects she has no idea what violence she’s talking about, or alluding to by sporting Tupac and Notorious B.I.G. on her ass cheeks.

Karen Belgrad

She’s protesting Black Friday shopping violence.

maggiehuck

Stop the FASHION violence!! Oh my eyes.

tereliz

She should come drive through my neighborhood and see the houses with signs in their yard that say “Stop the Violence” “Thou Shalt Not KILL” and “Children should be seen and not SHOT”. No, she should WALK through my neighborhood. In that outfit.

Biggie and Tupac have united in the afterlife to roll their ghostly eyes and mock this fetal child in unison. Violence, stopped. She’s a veritable Ghandi.

Kristin McNamara

What’s worse is that at first glance, the outfit seems to merely read “Violence.” The “please stop” is on her backside which, granted, she probably showed off quite a bit that night, but I’m sure there are a plethora of pictures out there that just look like her outfit is touting pictures of Biggie and Pac, captioned with the word “Violence” in all caps. So go ahead and add ‘insensitive’ to the growing list of adjectives we’re associating with this outfit today…

quiltrx

The “please stop” part is behind her, because it’s everyone around her, trailing behind and muttering “please stop” at her in pleading tones.

She’d be the relative that kept me from going to family dinners just because I couldn’t bear to be in the same room with her for more than 2.5 minutes.

YousmelllikeAnnaWintour

Or if you did go, you would need several glasses of wine just to get through the first half hour.

marlie

I’d be wasted by the time dinner was served.

MK03

What, that’s not a Thanksgiving tradition?

lrhg

Well the Hemsworths sure couldn’t.

formerlyAnon

We all were young once. She might be worse than many (most?) but that’s probably at least half because she’s got the money and privilege to have access and air time.**

**I might be remembering what I subjected my poor parents to between the ages of 18 and 22. Maybe. Almost certainly.

demidaemon

I’m sure it wasn’t even half as bad as this. Also, you only subjected your poor parents to it. Not the whole damn world.

formerlyAnon

As I always say, thank god no one published interviews with me in my youth. Given her access, audience, money and hangers on? My insufferableness would have been different. But it would’ve been at least as insufferable.

Regular tampons are already dyed/bleached cotton…. that can’t be much better for us, yet we do it anyway!

kimmeister

I realize they are bleached, but I can’t help but think that dye would be worse.

Snailstsichr

Cannot un-see! Am now even more grossed out.

Carrie

I didn’t even see the “stop the” on the dress when I first saw the pictures because I was trying to comprehend why she’d even wear the dress in the first place and that she looked like she was continuing her attention whore tour. It’s even worse when you realize it has a ‘message.’

teensmom99

Attention Whore–I see what you were doing there!

suzq

I choose to look past the ugly clothing, likely not worth anywhere close to what she paid, and zero in on the ugliness of her tattoos. Someone with her money should have higher quality tat work done. We’re all forced to look at them as she chooses to go around undressed like that. Upgrade your tats, sweetie.

MarTeaNi

There are a shocking number of wealthy celebrities, particularly in music, who seem to get all their tattoos at a discount gas station. I can’t explain why they do it except maybe they’re young, stupid and rich enough to believe they can get them lasered off later a la Ozzy’s Daughter.

Jessica Freeman

Its unfortunate that Kat von D has done some of her tats.

Funkykatt

I guess this is what you do when you’re in show business and you have no talent.

boweryboy

I’m not a fan of Miley in any way and I just want her to disapper, so it pains me to say this but she really is a talented singer.

It’s too bad she has fallen into the same trap of many other talented female pop singers who feel they must resort to shenanigans – sexual or otherwise – to draw attention to theirselves (Lady Gaga and Strip era Christina Aguilera come to mind).

So, the crap she’s pulling actually overshadows her talent which makes it easy to dismiss her as talentless. Now, is she an attention whore? Absolutely.

demidaemon

She is definitely talented. It’s just all the smoke and mirrors she puts up that distract from that, leading one to wonder: Why? Why turn the attention away from your best asset?

One thing for certain: There are many singers who won’t put us through this torture (Norah Jones, Adele, Pink, even good ol’ JLo) who deserve more of our attention and dollars. Even Gaga does this better, because it is pure crazy that occasionally has a purpose, versus crazy slutty, and delusional, a la our post topic here.

Jess Collett

I find it very fitting that the dress is emblazoned with the word ‘stop’. Sums up my thoughts entirely.

Isabel

How was the wedding?

marlie

Yes, let’s focus on more pleasant things!

Mia Moreno

This is a new low for her.

SewingSiren

She’s klassy like Ke$ha.

snarkalicious

Honestly, don’t you think this girl secretly longs to wear a super-comfortable pair of pants and a cozy sweater? I mean, it’s November. In Amsterdam. And I defy anyone to tell me it is easy or pleasant to sit down in that ghetto-fabulous getup.

marlie

Like Lady Gaga, it would be practically revolutionary (and refreshing) to see her in a pair or sweats or casual jeans, like the clothes that we mortals usually wear.

Kristin McNamara

Well there was that one time she wore that pair of franken-pants made out of one leg of a pair of jeans and one leg of a pair of sweatpants. That actually WAS pretty revolutionary. (And hiddy.)

demidaemon

Yes, she can’t even do normal normally.

marlie

Perhaps. But not in a good way. 😉

Kathy

Boy howdie, this is some damn deep doo-doo.

alyce1213

Smug little twit.
That’s all I can manage this a.m.

Jennifer Peters-Ahnberg

Oh dear. The expression on her face seems to read, “Yes, I went there. Deal.”

I’d ask if she can truly be this clueless, but she’s already demonstrated that ability.

Kathy

When I’m feeling kind, I think she’s just ignorant. When I’m feeling bitchy (most of the time), I think she’s attention whoring any way she can and is thoroughly happy to be offensive.

Jennifer Peters-Ahnberg

Well, she keeps claiming that everything she does is carefully planned out, so I have to assume she knows she’s being offensive. She obviously wants attention. But she seems to think she’s Little Miss Edgy Rebel – which is where the clueless comes in. White girls have been pulling this shit since the seventies. Not that I’m old enough to remember that. 😉

MilaXX

She’s not clueless at all. This is all very calculated. That’s what makes it all the more distasteful.

I agree. I think she has some role to play in this. She’s young, yes, but seems aware enough of her image to be having a say in what she wears. But I’m curious about who else is involved – not just in this decision but in decisions about how she dresses, her videos, who she performs with, etc.

MilaXX

She has officially entered “This bitch” territory for me. She can have a whole stadium of seats.

Judy_J

“Please stop” is right. So very tired of her schtick. I feel like a hypocrite for even commenting on her “look”.

Not applicable

Thanks for keepin’ it classy Miley!

bhl_1123

I will reference Miley’s ass when I say I wish she would just “please stop”.

Lanus

Nothing like a dead-rapper teeshirt dress to show off your Dreamcatcher tattoo. Please, complete your cultural appropriation grossness by painting a bindi on your forehead and wearing a rosary as a necklace. ~retches~

Carleenml

It is a little distressing to see her pic on the main page in a thumbnail shot with the word “fashion” near her head. *tic*

She does not seem like an idiot, in which case I have to wonder, is she taking the piss? Also REALLY beginning to wonder about some of those allegations of racism that have been tossed her way.

frannyprof

At least she’s keeping her tongue in her mouth.

Erin Schubert Needham

At least her tongue is in her mouth for once.

OrigamiRose

Oh Miley, you’re soooooooooooooooo edgy! *eye roll*

girlsaturday

Wait, the ’90s are vintage now? When did that happen?

Jennifer Peters-Ahnberg

About the time classic rock stations started playing Nirvana. I hate feeling old.

Angela_the_Librarian

It’s not quite classic rock, but my local rock/alternative station has “Way Back Weekends” where they play all 90’s music…(and it’s easily the best music they play all week. I’m becoming a grumpy old person!)

somebody blonde

When the current generation of pop stars became too young to remember them.

and what does custom vintage mean? it was made expressly for her in the nineties?

Kristin McNamara

HA! Nice catch. What an excellent question…..!? I would think it either means that (har har) or that it was custom-made for some other incarnation of a terribly tacky young popstar looking to offend at an untraditional red carpet setting in the 90s.

MannahattaMamma

to have that body & then wrap it (barely) in strings and dead rappers? sigh sigh sigh. I wish we could get pictures of her handlers–although she claims to be MAKING UP HER OWN MIND (like hell)–so we could also rake them across the coals. Because there are a whole lotta people responsible for this young woman’s diamond-studded mess of a life.

formerlyAnon

YES. Whether it’s suits with intentional long range marketing plans, or just a jumble of hangers-on, providers-of-various-services, and random employee-“friends,” she is at the LEAST getting a shit ton of positive feedback for every jackass idea involved here. And I personally lean toward the idea that she’s being fed a lot of it. It’s all just so facile.

siimesand

There’s the cultural appropriation and then there’s the fact that she’s wearing a dress with the words Stop the Violence when one of the men pictured on her garment is a convicted rapist. She’s clearly clueless.

Jaeda Laurez

She’s doing entirely too much and THEN some. I hope she’s able to laugh about what an idiot she’s being right now once she hits 30.

Lori

Words I never thought I’d type—her ass speaks for me. Please Stop.

marlie

All I’m going to say is “girl, that’s REALLY not your dress.” Also, those boots should be set on fire.

Considering she wasn’t old enough to remember all that was the Tupac and Biggie controversy and subsequent deaths is probably what irks me most about her wearing this. Those of us that do remember, realize that this is not respectful of their memories.

julnyes

I remember it terribly clearly. I remember being woken by my sister and being told Biggie had died. We were heartbroken and to be honest I kind of gave up on hip hop after that .. he was the greatest to me. Tupac was this super nova of intelligence and rage and pain.

I just can’t stand this twit. She has no knowledge or understanding and I am 100% done with her. I am not looking at anything featuring her. commenting on anything she does and certainly never giving her a dime of my money (though that wasn’t likely to happen anyway)

YousmelllikeAnnaWintour

She looks like a hooker. A very smug hooker.

boweryboy

Nope. I got nothing to say.

Erica_Vuitton

Lil Kim LOOOOVES her so I think she actually has the seal of approval.

boweryboy

Well, I for one would pay to see Queen Latifah, MC Lyte, Missy Elliot, and what the hell, even Heather B from season one of the Real World give her a good old fashioned girls in the hood take off your earrings weave pulling ass whupping.

And just for the record, Lil Kim needs an ass whupping too for what she did to her face.

tereliz

But the decades-long feud between East Coast and West Coast rappers is BREAKINGTHISCOUNTYAPART! If she wants to address issues of violence, referencing murders that happened in 1996-1997 are totally relevant, amirite? *eye roll*

*sigh* Which just leads me to believe that she thought it looked cool with those boots.

Cognitive.Dissonance

Eve could make this a WERQ … but she has the good sense not to wear it. Someone needs to throw Miley out of the mall.

MaggieMae

Can’t believe you remember that Annabelle Archer! Most excellent!

Raven

yea, you guys are right. she has no right to be telling people to stop the violence more specifically because it looks like she, a white girl, is telling black people to “stop the violence”.

😐

boweryboy

“…it looks like she, a white girl, is telling black people to ‘stop the violence’ “.

Not just a white girl, but a white girl who grew up privileged and wealthy, and doesn’t *really* seem to have gained an understanding of what used to – and still does – fuel such violence.

Interesting thing is, as a black person who had a very upper-middle, pseudo-suburban, prep-school upbringing, *I* knew better than to tell people to “stop the violence.”

MK03

I’m sorry, but anything with Biggie and Tupac on it is not old enough to be “vintage”.

somebody blonde

It’s been 16 years since they died. Maybe you can’t call it vintage, but it certainly isn’t new. If someone had worn a late sixties mod look in the mid-80s, what would that be?

JDreesen

cosplay?

cocohall

I attempted to watch the MTV EMAs and it was the oddest assemblage of genres and performers, and I finally just TiVoed to the end where Miley was edited for taking something out of her purse, which she was awkwardly holding and referring to every 10 seconds, lest anyone not be focused on the right part of her “stage craft.” I suspect she pulled out a blunt. In any event, the whole thing, including the WTF*ckery of the Tupac/Biggie dress just reinforces how juvenile she is. And serves to remind me of how little traditional education she has had. There is a reason you go to public school with your peers. Because 1) actual education and 2) peer review by people not on your payroll. Most kids go through some sort of rebellious phase particularly in middle school, whether it is clothes, make-up, music, whatever. But there is a group maturation process that happens and the really egregious, pointless behavior gets weeded out. I have teens; and believe me, there is no harsher group of critics than teens. They WILL let you know when you are fronting. I am not in favor of bullying, but a little reality check is not such a bad thing.

Not even a blunt, a sad, little joint. The entire thing was desperate, unimaginative and poorly executed. Much like her extremely highcut leotard that she was wearing. I am so tired of seeing this girl’s labia and being forced to ask myself, “Is that pubic stubble?” PUT IT AWAY SISTER!

cocohall

I know! The dreaded “Lip Slip.” “Let the whole world be your gyno” is not a good look.

vitaminC

“Lip slip.” Bless you, Internet.

rkdgal

I really think she ought to listen to the earnest appeal her ass is making and “PLEASE STOP.”

SophieCollier

She’s been trying hard to get gangsta cred (just like Bieber has) for a while now. It’s pretty embarrassing and I’m sure she’s been called out on it already, but I guess if she keeps appropriating black culture, she’ll be cool someday.

Malibufire

She wants to be noticed. She wants people to talk about her. Mission accomplished, once again.

dschubba

Well, if anyone’s going to stop the East/West feud from twenty years ago, it’s the girl who still hadn’t heard any Jay-Z songs in 2009.

Raven

i forgot about that. oh man. it’s like she’s trying really, really hard in all the wrong ways to make up for that very statement, haha.

CakesOnAPlane

I think that’s what gets me the most – what she “does” is mindless and narcissistic and yet she fancies herself a hero who brings world peace by wearing a skimpy dress. SMH

J. Preposterice

the. faces. on her butt. one face on each butt cheek. I. and the. what.

Aurumgirl

So much money spent to look so bad. And the work it must have taken to accomplish the look! I’m exhausted just thinking about it.

Chartreusite

Yeah as soon as I saw the image I had a visceral reaction of “ew.” I’m kinda on the same ship; I’m not well-versed in hip-hop and rap history and I probably can’t begin to decipher the racial implications of this, but I do think that someone who’s been drawing a lot of heat for appropriating cultural touchstones prevalent in the African-American community for her own monetary and stylistic gain should have a little more self-awareness and not wear skimpy clothing with dead rappers on her boobs and butt. It’s fine if she does whatever she wants with her body (ie the Blurred Lines performance), more power to her for doing what she wants, but when she starts doing stuff like this I can’t wait for her to get out of the limelight.

Chartreusite

Side note: I just looked through google news to see what the big headlines are about Miley Cyrus…they’re all about her smoking pot on stage. Priorities, media, priorities.

Kent Roby

I totally agree with part of this look, the part that says “PLEASE STOP”

formerlyAnon

She is going to have more than average clueless, earnest, clueless, entitled, clueless, well-meant, delusional, dopily sincere, clumsily manipulative, clueless stuff to look back on than even the average young celebrity who grows up in the public eye and is so used to being in their celebrity bubble that they don’t realize that’s where they are, isn’t she?

Pity. Because that’s a slamming body and she ought to be able to wear a slutty dress to the MTV awards and have nothing more than tsking over her self-objectification to dismiss. Also: I think those boots work. First peep toe boots I haven’t wanted to burn on their wearer, or, better yet, the designer who brought them forth into the world.

Jacqueline Wessel

Well, I think the heads of the gentlemen on the front are positioned too low and should actually be raised up and positioned right over her boobs. That would make more sense to me…she’d still look ridiculous but the ridiculousness would be better conveyed.

prettybigkitty

Of course.

Nonmercisansfacon

Dafuq?

Gatto Nero

Entitled. Clueless. Offensive.
Next?

sweet_potato

Truth be told, she doesn’t look too thrilled about it herself.

LaSylphide

“Okay, well. This happened:”

So do train wrecks. And she has become one. Of course, train wrecks are more interesting.

It’s interesting. I have a girlfriend from high school who works with Miley Cyrus. She and I had a conversation after the VMAs incident, and I was appalled with that whole performance. My girlfriend was as well, but she said something that has stuck with me. She told me the Miley is very savvy and knows how to make people talk so she stays in the media. She explained that in private situations she is 100% different than who she is publicly. Her whole goal is to remain relevant and she does it through these extreme things – trying to be edgy, statement clothes, etc. My girlfriend said she is very much like Jessica Simpson (with whom she also worked) who is also very smart and savvy but never comes across that way.

My friend recounted a story where Miley Cyrus actually sat down with her team (including my friend) and planned out all of the “edgy” stuff she was going to do that week. She said she is like two different people, and again said that is the same as Jessica Simpson. Simpson just went the dumb blonde route and Miley is going the rebellious route.

marlie

That doesn’t surprise me one bit. All of the conversations here about Miley being clueless and not understanding the implications of her antics… I don’t believe it for a second. I agree that probably everything she does is calculated to get a reaction from the media and the public, because ANY reaction is good & it means that she’s the one anyone is talking about.

I’d be curious to know if your friend thinks it’s “worth it” to work for Miley, considering that SHE’s appalled by some of Miley’s antics (absolutely no judgement here; just curious).

Jennifer

Financially it has been worth it for my friend, and she openly admits that. However, in private situations totally off the record she tends to say that she thinks she has gone a little bit too far.

She says that Miley really is a sweet girl, and she is very easy to worth with on a professional level. My girlfriend says she is very respectful and prompt and treats people well. My friend works very closely with her on a professional level, and they have built a bit of a friendship. She has worked with a few child/teen turned adult stars, and she says that they a lot of them struggle in their early 20s to find their footing so she is pretty sympathetic to this panic that they need to stay relevant.

My friend also takes into account her parents’ divorce and the shenanigans with her brother. It’s a lot for any 20-something, but add in that she is incredibly famous and you have a recipe for some crazy antics.

formerlyAnon

This is fascinating. So my (unanswerable) query is, 20 years later is it harder or easier to look back at the ridiculous, unflattering, clueless presentation you made when it was intentional, or when it was a product of your bubble of privilege and inexperience?

Lori

I don’t think she’s clueless and Jennifer’s friend’s stories clearly indicate that she’s not. I’m not sure that means that she’s fully aware of all the implications of her antics. During this year’s annual Halloween round of “No, blackface is not OK” discussion I talked to more than one young person who just could not wrap their head around why blackface is not OK and why dressing up as Pocahottie is not a tribute to your (supposed) Cherokee great-grandmother. Really getting all the implications of racism and cultural appropriation and how to navigate a subculture not your own takes some work and some maturity. Miley is 20 and clearly totally focused on making MILEY happen so I think it’s really unlikely that her thoughts on the matter have much depth.

And just to be clear, I am not excusing her. If she isn’t going to put in the work to figure out where the line is and stay on the right side of it she needs to stop doing this.

It wouldn’t surprise me in the least to have this confirmed via other sources.

I still remember an interview with Rebe McEntire (eons ago) about whether or not she should cut that big ol’ 90s hair of hers. Reba discussed what her fans wanted and how they might react. And especially what it would do for her marketing-wise. She revealed that she and her team had actually discussed the possibility for several YEARS before she actually did it because they didn’t want negative repercussions. I remember being naively astonished at the time.

Image branding is everything when the product you’re marketing is yourself.

sweetestsith

There was an interview that came out earlier this year, before most of this dramaz started in which Miley stated that she was going to become a household name. Just as Miley, no last name needed. Possibly something in there about being bigger than jesus, but that’s been a popular thing to say and might have been someone else. ANYWAYS. I remember people giggling about it (who does this silly kid think she is? she’s just famous because of her daddy and/or boyfriend. etc.), and yet… Here we are. I’m not convinced she’s as in control as she thinks she is, but I have no doubt that she’s not an idiot and knows whats up.

tereliz

Now that she’s no longer Hannah Montana, she’ll ALWAYS be Miley Cyrus. No one is gonna forget your Daddy was famous first, hon. Bless your little heart.

sweetestsith

I’m not totally convinced to be honest, but it may be generational. Her fan base isn’t terrible familiar with her dad (other than that he was on her TV show), and I wouldn’t be surprised if her people managed to swing it. That said, Miley Cyrus rolls of the tongue pretty well, so daddy may win yet.

NinjaCate

There is difference between “rebellious” and “racist”. One is tolerable in contained doses. The other is RACIST.

How depressing. It is nearly 2014 and somehow, “dumb” and “slutty” are still the most successful go to’s for calculating young women. Sign.

Erica_Vuitton

I have to say I’m not a fan of this but also SHE doesn’t look like shes a big fan of it either. Most of the time she rocks a look based on how much SHE likes it. This feels off…

traceyishere

Expensive tacky whore trying to look like she’s down.

Big Bear

Her bum is screaming ‘Please Stop’ while her hoo hoo says ‘Violence’. All in all, I concur.

stubbornthoughts

I find it incredibly ironic that she has “PLEASE STOP” on her ass, and her violently tacky first video as WhitePunk!Miley was “We Can’t Stop.”

All this talk about her being the exact person who doesn’t understand the message she’s trying to convey, YES YES YES. I completely agree with all that’s been said. She represents the top tier of white privilege, right down to her naivete on racism and how to appropriate herself in the fight for equality.

Slanted & Enchanted

More proof that Hollywood’s stylists turn to TLo for advice. How else to explain how quickly the funeral dress trend was nipped in the bud? “You guyzzz! TLo demands color!”

I really wish people would stop taking her picture so I could enjoy my internet.

Trickytrisha

I’m pretty sure that if she’s aware that this blog exists, she’s absolutely delighted with our reactions. Girl only cares about publicity – good or bad- and ruffling feathers. She does not give a flying fuck about being a decent human being.

She looks like Julia Roberts’ skankier friend who must stare on in envy as Richard Gere whisks her away from a horrible life of prostitution. Or the Gina-Gershon-style villain if the movie had been a serialized drama like Melrose Place. Let us all remember that that movie and show took place in the nineties, so at least the Tupac and Biggie references would have been timely.

Irish Rodriguez Reyes

Go home you tacky thing.

melanie0866

Vintage WHAT?

hellkell

The back of her skirt sums it all up. PLEASE STOP.

Louise Bryan

I did a double take on the shadow on her inner thigh. In the first picture it looked red, like a line of blood coming down from “there”.

She has officially been inaugurated into Lea Michele’s “OF COURSE.” club.

pop_top

I saw her on another site and came over hoping it was here so I could say “Of course.”

Constant Cat

Her music needs to catch up with the level of offensiveness. Maybe this is trying to be funny in some dumb way? Like…ironic in the worst way? No idea. It just reads as condescending. I’ll also say, I personally don’t care too much about Biggie/Tupac, but nobody should ever have to have their faces posted to Miley’s ass. I’m even feeling for that poor wrecking ball.

Joanne Abrams

Thank the stars, she doesn’t have her tongue hanging out as well. I just wish she would go away

demidaemon

It’s slutty with a “message.” Can anyone say they are truly surprised?

In other news, Miley is annoying and attention whoring.

Leslie Streeter

She’s punking us, right?

jjjoy

she’s so damn try-hard all the time. please go away and stop infiltrating my life with your nonsense.

Tatiana Luján

How tacky can someone be?

guest2visits

I’m just tired of getting slapped in the face with stupid. This would look absurd on anyone, my opinion. I’m especially put-off by slogans scribbled across women’s asses, whether it’s engraved in their skins or part of a couture campaign to sell tight britches. Clearly, this is just more of Miley’s thinkin’ on how to be famous. For anything. Unfortunately – not thought out enough. And she just lit up in a city that’s been working hard for the past decade to re-image itself away from exactly that. So the sum of MIley’s knowledge of Europe is hooker gear and hash. It looked like just another tacky t-shirt until she turned for the cameras and….naked again. No surprises from Miley. Why do I think that if she could, she’d love to just step out in a couple of lit sparklers and birthday candles and call it a day. For the publicity sure, but mostly because it’s also her own taste level. The boots are great. Rock star boots that would be more perfect if they weren’t missing toes. It’s like taking a fine winter coat and cutting a hole in the back…WHY?

Introspective

just seeing this- I absolutely *LOVE* this blog by the way!! one of its founders is a friend of mine who is also a black studies scholar, and she does a way more brilliant job than i could ever do of deconstructing privilege and raising awareness about intersectional forms of identity (and oppression…)

all that said, rock on! the crunkfeminists are the shit!!

somebody blonde

Thanks!

unbornfawn

Desperate for attention.

MandyM

“Hi stylist? I’d like the skankiest dress silhouette you can find. And can we make it in a fabric with dead rap stars on it in case my skankiness doesn’t piss everyone off enough? Oh and let’s find lots of cheap tacky jewelry to go along with that? And how about some thigh-high boots that completely hypnotize anyone who is still paying attention to me?”

Done.

guest2visits

There’s a stylist?

MandyM

Of course! She works at Hoez R Us. Or maybe it’s Once Upon a Child Star. Possibly GymDoMe.

RoseJB

I’m just so grateful she’s been keeping her tongue in her mouth, that I can’t really complain. She looks like a lot of girls her age look when they go clubbing, so… meh.

Derryng Deux

This outfit reminds me a lot of when Rihanna was wearing those psychedelic-zebra Balenciaga boots all the time. 2008, I think? Seems like more Rihanna hero-worship from Miley.

Nikki

I feel like I just got Rick-rolled.

in other news. this dress looks poorly made, from a sewist perspective- I see pulling on her boobs and yuck. Also, what’s with this look on her face? “ugh, bemused”

Dorothy Hieu Nguyen

Uncles are right. I absolutely agree…. But I luv the Tom Ford boots.

R. L.

JUST UGH. The intention, the image, the fit, everything except the boots. MC makes me gag but I like her hair most of the time.

Tafadhali

I feel like once again I have literally nothing to say about Miley Cyrus except RACIST.

kalisa

Why doesn’t she just pose for Hustler & get it over with? She’s clearly DYING for us all to see her naked.

E2_Remote

LOL…nice!

bitchybitchybitchy

*Because we reserve the God-given right to point and laugh long, hard and loud at anyone who tries to sell us the horsepoop idea that she’s “sending a message” about “ending violence.” Person, please.